Evaluation for Social Justice AMY HILGENDORF, PHD KATE WESTABY, MS VICTORIA FAUST, MPA UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON American Evaluation Association 2015

What is “Social Justice”? “Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society” “Full and equal participation of all groups in society” “Everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities” “Giving to each what [each] is due”

“Social Justice Evaluation” Social justice-oriented evaluation “seeks to increase understanding of the interdependency of individual, community, and society using a more judicious democratic process in generating knowledge about social problems and social interventions and using this knowledge to advance social progress.” (Thomas & Madison, 2010) Rejection of the possibility of value neutrality Critical understanding of sociopolitical forces and power dynamics influencing the definitions of social problems and their causes, as well as the evaluation context Analysis that illuminates inequities and the systemic and structural injustices behind them, and promotes action Facilitation of open discussion, deliberation, and engagement in public discourse Attention to all stakeholders and diverse viewpoints, especially giving voice to those most affected Inclusive approaches Explicit attention to issues of diversity, cultural responsiveness, and multicultural validity Broad and accessible dissemination of evaluation findings Critical reflection of one’s own values, beliefs, and prejudices, and in relation to others Trust building and attention to “interpersonal validity” “Evaluator as agent of change”

How do Evaluators Work for Social Justice? Culturally Responsive Evaluation Democratic Evaluation Empowerment Evaluation Participatory Evaluation Developmental Evaluation Feminist Evaluation Equity-Focused Evaluation Indigenous Evaluation Collaborative Evaluation Critical Social Theory Evaluation Utilization-Focused Evaluation Transformative Paradigm

Questions program assumptions, values, policies, practices, and system dynamics that lead to a problem Focused on social innovation or complex environments. Social justice is complex: ◦ Difficult to define and has no obvious answers ◦ Tangled up root causes ◦ Involves stakeholders with diverse values, interests, and positions Recognizes that people are highly emotional and social and live in systems, organizational and societal. Accountability is focused on innovators’ fundamental values and commitment to making a difference. Patton, M. Q. (2011). Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Developmental evaluators ask: Are we being true to our vision? How have systems contributed to this problem? What patterns are emerging? What’s being learned? Now what? What does it mean? What principles are being followed? What developments occur over time? Who or what is being excluded, marginalized, or made a victim by the way in which this situation is being viewed or is operating? Patton, M. Q. (2011). Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

David Fetterman – AEA presidential introduction in 1994 – was controversial Aims to increase the probability of program success by providing program stakeholders with tools for assessing the planning, implementation, and self-evaluation of their program & mainstream evaluation as part of the planning and management of the program or organization Fetterman, D. M., Kaftarian, S. J., & Wandersman, A. (2014). Empowerment Evaluation, 2 nd Ed. SAGE Publications

Critical concepts: Self-determination – make their own choices about program direction, build evaluation capacity Democratic approach, never conducted by a single person Gives voice to those who often don’t have one Build a community of learners Evaluator as a coach/critical friend ◦ someone who believes in the program, but still asks the critical questions ◦ is a co-equal – not a superior, not a servant Guided by principles of truth and honesty – understand an event from multiple perspectives and worldviews – try to see it in context

Culturally Responsive Evaluation Emphasis on understanding a program as it functions in the context of culturally diverse groups Explicit attention to culture and race Social responsibility to address unequal opportunities and resources Attention to power differentials Evaluator understands own cultural values Hopson, R. K., & Kirkhart, K. E. (2015). Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE): Theory to Practice and Back Again. Presented at the 2015 American Evaluation Association Summer Institute.

on-culturally-responsive-evaluation/ Will a cultural insider be required to guide the evaluators in their interactions and understandings? How is power held, exercised, and shared (or used oppressively) in this context? Whose values are marginalized and whose values are privileged?

Evaluation for Social Justice Does the object of evaluation reproduce unfair, unjust advantage or privilege? Does it promote a fair, just distribution of social resources and social opportunities? Are people connected to the object of evaluation and most impacted by inequities defining the need for an evaluation and the presence and role of an evaluator? What type of knowledge is privileged in the context of the evaluation and in the evaluation itself? Who defines how evaluative judgements are made? What social power exists to leverage results of an evaluation and who has it?

Social Justice Evaluation: Case Examples Planning for and Building Social Justice throughout an Evaluation ◦ Victoria Faust Course Corrections: Integrating a Social Justice Lens into an Ongoing Evaluation ◦ Kate Westaby What Now? Promoting Action for Social Justice from Evaluation Findings ◦ Amy Hilgendorf

Planning for and Building Social Justice throughout an Evaluation Reimagining Criminal Justice to Improve the Health of Wisconsin’s Families and Communities

Course Corrections: Integrating a Social Justice Lens into an Ongoing Evaluation

What Now? Promoting Action for Social Justice from Evaluation Findings Coalition Health Equity Capacity Feedback

Discussion